Dr. Petska is a board-certified child abuse pediatrician and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her clinical practice is at the Children's Wisconsin Milwaukee-Campus and Milwaukee Child Advocacy Center where she evaluates children in foster care and children with suspected maltreatment. She also provides expert child abuse consultations and court testimony in cases of suspected child maltreatment.

In addition to working as a clinician, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She teaches medical students, residents, fellows, and the community about injuries, child maltreatment, and medical conditions that may be mistaken for abuse or neglect. Research interests include child abuse prevention, improved detection of child maltreatment, drug endangerment, trauma-informed practice and public health.